Vladimir Putin briefs Donald Trump on plan to end Syrian civil war

2017-11-21

After meeting with Bashar al-Assad, Russian president plans summit with leaders of Turkey and Iran, bypassing UN

Vladimir Putin has sought Donald Trump’s broad endorsement for his plan to bring the Syrian civil war to a close on largely Russian and Iranian terms, following the defeat of Islamic State and the repeated pushbacks of Syrian rebels.

Putin briefed his American counterpart on the phone for more than an hour, as the Russian president prepared to host a summit in the Black Sea resort of Sochi with the leaders of Turkey and Iran – two other powers heavily involved in the conflict in Syria.